Vietnam fell 0-3 to the heavily favored Russia side in the opening game of the LPBank Cup 2024 International Friendly Tournament at My Dinh Stadium in Hanoi on Thursday night.

There was little to debate about Vietnam’s defeat to Russia, given the clear disparity in class between the two teams. 

Though Russia were clearly the dominant force on the pitch, Vietnam’s poor performance was also attributed to ongoing squad and tactical experiments under new coach Kim Sang Sik.

Coach Kim surprised many by fielding a team with several less experienced players. 

Notably, he placed Nguyen Hoang Duc in the striker position -- a move previously tried by former head coach Philippe Troussier which showed little success. 

This experiment proved ineffective once again on Thursday night. 

Dinh Thanh Binh, who typically plays as a striker, was positioned on the wing, and Nguyen Van Truong, who struggles in physical contests, was deployed to midfield alongside Do Hung Dung. 

This experimental lineup left Vietnam struggling to launch effective attacks.

Aside from the non-traditional rostering, the Vietnamese players appeared sluggish and out of sync, likely due to a lack of play considering Vietnam's top-tier V. League 1 is currently in the off season.

A tendency by the Vietnamese to resort to long balls under pressure did not do much to push the odds in their favor.

Despite bad weather and poor pitch conditions at My Dinh Stadium, the Russian team showcased their superior strength on the field, controlling the match through a constant onslaught of attacks. 

The difference in quality was particularly evident in the 24th minute when Daler Adyamovich Kuzyayev scored with a gorgeous header.

In the second half, Vietnam made several substitutions, bringing on players like Nguyen Tuan Anh, Pham Tuan Hai, and Nguyen Quang Hai. 

While this improved their play slightly, they still lacked the sharpness needed to net a ball.

Russia, on the other hand, continued to assert their dominance and scored two more goals. 

The third goal, a stylish finish by Tamerlan Musaev, sealed a 3-0 victory. 

Earlier, Russia had increased their lead to 2-0 due to a mistake by goalkeeper Dang Van Lam, who mishandled a back pass from Vu Van Thanh.

The defeat against a stronger opponent was not surprising.

For coach Kim’s boys, the match was little more than an exercise in what not to do in future matchups. 

Vietnam will face Thailand in their next LPBank Cup match on September 10, offering a chance to better demonstrate their style of play against a similarly ranked opponent.

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